The Iron Marshal: A Biography of Louis N. Davout (Napoleonic Library) [Hardcover]

John G. Gallagher (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 19, 2006

The Iron Marshal charts the career of Davout from his enlistment as a volunteer in the Republican Army during the Napoleonic era to his appointment as Minister for War in 1815.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John G. Gallaher is Professor of His­tory at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Greenhill Books; 2nd edition (February 19, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 185367396X
• ISBN-13: 978-1853673962
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.7 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,852,045 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #73 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( M ) > Marshall, John

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Military Biography, May 4, 2000

By 

Aussie Reader ""Rick"" (Canberra, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Iron Marshal: A Biography of Louis N. Davout (Napoleonic Library) (Hardcover)

This book is the long awaited reprint of John Gallaher's 1976 classic account of one of Napoleon's greatest Marshals, Louis Davout, 'The Iron Marshal'. According to David Chandler, Davout was "one of the least liked as a man, the ablest as a commander, and the most feared - and respected - as an adversary. He was also, from 1798, one of the loyalist of Napoleon's key subordinates."

This is an excellent biography of a Napoleonic commander. The book covers Davout's military career from when he entered the Ecole royale militaire in 1779, through the Revolution, the Napoleonic Wars and finally his death in 1823. The narrative flowed along faultlessly although I would have liked more detail in regards to Davout's battles. However the author has covered these battles well enough and provided eight maps to assist the reader in following the action. Davout fought in numerous campaigns from Egypt to Russia and was successful always, his most famous battle being at Auerstadt.

Mr Gallaher has also supplied the reader with some insight into Davout the man with details of his relationship with his devoted wife and the tragedies of his children. You leave this book with a feeling that Davout was a man who did his all for duty (France and the Emperor) but never forgot his family. I loved reading this book and I felt it was not long enough (420 pages). I fretted about finishing, I wanted more, I did not want to put the book down nor finish it!

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves reading about the napoleonic period or anybody who enjoys a decent military biography. This is a great book about a great commander.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic biography, April 8, 2004

By 

lordhoot "lordhoot" (Anchorage, Alaska USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Iron Marshal: A Biography of Louis N. Davout (Napoleonic Library) (Hardcover)

Probably one of the best biographies written about one of Napoleon's Marshals, John G. Gallaher does a fantastic job bringing Louis N. Davout to life in a well written, superbly researched and very insightful biography. The author managed to intergated all facets of Davout's life into a single flow that provides clarity and understanding. The two previous reviews have spoken more then enough on this book so I won't go on. It was nice to read a great biography which did great justice on Napoleon's greatest corps commander (my humble opinion of course).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid History, April 12, 2006

By 

Thomas Reiter (Washington DC, DC United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Iron Marshall: A Biography of Louis N. Davout (Hardcover)

I can't add very much to the other reviews, but agree that this book is well-written history and deserves a five-star rating. While the author clearly admires Davout, he contributes clear and objective discussion on the various controversies in Davout's life (did he wish to be king of Poland, why he fell from favor after the disasterous Russian campaign, his conduct after Waterloo, etc.). My only quibble with this book is that it is a bit dry (but not overly so) and it would have been even better if the author had woven a bit more anecdotal material into the book.